Artificial-limb socket



1. ABRAMS. ARTIFICIAL LINIB SOCKET.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR- I, 19214 RENEWED OCT. 20| 1921. 1,398,824.

Patented NOV. 29, 1921.

JOSEPH ABB/AMS, OF STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA.

Reiniciar-train soenna.

Specification of Letters Patent.

messer.

Application filed March 1, 1921, Serial No. 448,745. Renewed October 2G, 1921. Serial No. 509,204.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, dosnrH Abrams, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sturgis, in the county of Meade and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful improvements in an Artificial- Limb Socket, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to improvements in artificial limbs, Vand more particularly to a limb stump receiving socket therefor.

rllhe principal object of the invention is to provide for an improved limb stump socket for artificial limbs, and one embodying a rigid socket member adaptedto be removably supported in the upperopen end of an articial limb, a cushioning limb stump receiving member or pocket capable ofbeing independently removed from positionwithin the rigid socket, andmeans whereby the cushioning member or socket may be iniiated or deflated to any desired or necessary degree to render the socket comfortable to the wearer, or to compensate for limb stump shrinkage without the removalfof the rigid socket `from the artificial limb, the cushioning member or socket from the rigid socket, or the limb stump from the latter.

With lthe foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the certain new and useful construction and arrangement of parts, will be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel is a fragmentary elevation of the upper portion of an artificial limb showing the preferred form of the improved limb stump socket positioned therein, the wall of the artificial limb and the socket member being broken away to show the parts positioned for `the inflation of the cushioning socket without the parts of the socket being separated entirely fromrthe artificial limb, and,

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section-of the removable limb stump socket and the cushioning means thereof.

. Referring to the drawings, wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several views thereof, the numeral 10 indicates theupper open ended portion of an artificial vlimbwhich may be of any usual or known construction suitable to receive in its open end a substantially rigid socket member 11, formed preferably of an annular ring of rawhide, and in the nature of a cylindrical sleeve, and which Vis to be held in place by any.` suitable means (not shown). i

Fitted into the socket member or sleeve 11 1s an annular cushioning means or member 12, preferably formed of a tubular rubber or rubberized fabric, which is radapted to be h eld in position within a pocket formed ofa piece of fabric, 'preferably of chamois skin, or the like, which has a'lower intermediate portion 13 secured by a circular line of stitching 1li inwardly from the'bottom edge of the socket or sleeve 11, and its upper intermediate portion, as at 15, trained over the'top edge of the latter and folded upon itself, as at 16, exteriorally thereof, a line of stitching 17 holding thesame in folded condition and'passing .through the wall of the socket or sleeve 11, and securingv the fabric pocket against the upper inner surface of the latter. lhe upper free edge portion of this Yfabric 'is turned inward of the open end of the socket or 4sleeve 11 and passes centrally therethrough and through the center opening of the cushioning socket or member 12 to a'point inward of the lower edge of the latter, where it is connected to the lower free edge 19 of the pocketfabric by means of the draw-string 20. The pocket thus formed securely retains the cushioning socket or member 12 in desired position, but allows for the same to be inflated to a desired limited degree, which degree may be varied throughout a wide range by simply loosening` or tightening up of the drawstring 20. Y

lt is to be particularly noted of the specific arrangement andV manner of securing the pocket fabric to the rigid socket or sleeve 12, that the lower edge'portion 19 thereof is drawn kupward from the lower edge of the sleeve whereby to support the lower edge of the cushioning member or socket 12 inward ofthe lower end of the same, and to force the top edge ofthe latter upward into or slightly above the planev of the top edge of said rigid socket. This slightupward eX- tension of the top edge of the cushioning member .or socket 12 is permitted by reason ofthe pocket fabric being folded and secured exteriorly to the upper portion of the outerwall of the rigid socket 11, and such extension forms. one of the salient. features of the present invention, inasmuch .as it provides for the interposing of the upperporc rammed nenas, i921. Y

tion of the cushion between the limb stump inserted through the same and in hard top edge of the said rigidsocket. Secured by the upper line of stitching 17 eXteriorly of the rigid socket 1l, is the outer end edge of a usual form of soft leather'cuif or sleeve 21, which-is adapted to be turned inwardly of the upper open end of the rigid socket 11 and passed downwardly of. the centerV opening" of thercushioning socket.

Y For the purpose of inflating the cushioning member or socket 12, a radially entending flexible tube 22 is formed withvor otherwise attached thereto, and is provided at its outer 'end with a removable cap 22', inclosing an inflation valve `(not shown) of any usual or desired form. l

In the use of the device thus provided, the parts thereof are assembled as by the cushioning socket 12 being placed in position within the pocket, with the tube 22 proj ecting outwardly 'through an opening Y formed in the wall of the latter and the wall of the rigid socket, and the flaps 18 and 19 of the pocket then drawn together and secured by means of the drawing string 20. The

L rigid socket 1l is now ready to be inserted thereof and is flexed or bent in an upward direction when contacted by the upward movement of the wall of the upper end or edge ofthe socket portion of the artificial limb with respect thereto,`in which iiexed or bent position the tube 22V is retained partly in a groove or recess 23 formed in the outer wall of the rigid socket or member 11, and partly in a vertically disposed slot 24, formed in the wall of the upper portion or integral socket of the artificial limb 10, the latter being normally closed by means of -a suitable closure25, which may be movably supported ,y

in proper position on the outer `face of the limb socket 10, as by a pivotal connection 26;

The artificial limb 10, as a whole,'is now ready to be engaged onto the limb stumpof the person to wear the same. Should it be necessary to further inflate the cushioning socket'l2, as for the purpose of makingl the socket as a whole more comfortable, or to compensate for the shrinkage of the limb, suchinflation can be done without removing the` stump socket from its'position on the artificial limb 0r without removing thellimb,

stump from the same, simply by withdrawing the closure 25 from over the slot 24e to allowV the tube 22 to spring outwardly therethroughand from the groove or recess 23, andatt'aching thereto a pump or other inflation means tobe used for the purpose, after which, the pump or inflation'means is det for the effective cushioning of the limb stump within the socket and particularly in a manner to prevent injury to the limb at the top edge of thesocket; and that it provides for a cushioning socket capable of being inflated or deflated, as the case may be, to properly adjustthe same for vthe comfortable engagement. and support of the limb stump, and for suitably compensating, by inflation to different degrees, for shrinkage of the limb stump which takes place during a comparatively long period of time after the loss of the-natural limbfrom` the stump, such inflation or deflation being permitted without the necessity of removal of the limb stump from the socket, or the socket from the artiiiciallimb. K y

It is to be understood that'the invention contemplates the making of the limb stump sockets in various sizes, each with a cushioning member or socket capable of being inflated throughout-a sufficient range for the. purpose ofV compensating for the stump shrinkage, 'and that various changes in; detail ofconstruction and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the same.

Having thus fully described the invention,

what is claimed, is i L y The combination with the upper open end portion-of an artificial limb, of a rigid socket memberadapted to besupported in theopen end thereof, an annular inflatable cushioning socket within said rigid socket., a .valved iniating tube leading radially from said ,cusl'iioning socket and extending outwardly of the wall of the open end ofthe artificiallimband adapted tocover the said slot, said Y inflating` valve being adapted to spring outwardly from the'said recess and slot when said closure is moved from over the slot for such purpose.

hereto.

' j p JOSEPH-ABRAMS.

In'testimony whereoil aiiix signature 

